


Hey, Good Lookin'

by WeekendWriter



Series: Pacific Drabbles [2]
Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/M, M/M, Post-Operation Pitfall (Pacific Rim), Pre-Slash, Shatterdome Family, Shatterdome Shenanigans, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, like literally so much fluff, weddingplanner!Chuck
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-07
Updated: 2016-09-07
Packaged: 2018-08-13 13:04:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7977733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WeekendWriter/pseuds/WeekendWriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mako is getting married and wants Raleigh to be her best man and Chuck to be her maid of honor. At the bachelorette party, Chuck gets roped into letting the entire party put makeup on him. He calls Raleigh for rescue and Raleigh is surprisingly okay with Chuck in makeup.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hey, Good Lookin'

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GutterBall](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GutterBall/gifts).



> This started with the lovely Gutterball pointing out that these two need more fluff. And I had the thought for this prompt way too late at night but I wanted to run with it anyway. So I basically vomited 5k of fluff onto these pages. I'm terribly sorry for this.

The day Mako makes the announcement, it is both completely surprising and yet not the least bit shocking. Her increasing disappearance from the Shatterdome following the events of Operation Pitfall drew enough attention to the personnel that, under Tendo’s careful instruction, a sting was conducted that resulted in Chuck and Raleigh not-so-innocently crashing her fifth date with a guy.

His name was Kevin, and although Chuck immediately became the protective older brother that he wasn’t upon the discovery, Raleigh had warmed up to the guy enough that he convinced Kevin to begin spending time at the ‘dome as Mako’s supervised guest. Yes, it was because he wanted to get to know the guy Mako deemed worthy of her time; it definitely had nothing to do with the fact that Raleigh missed her whenever she wasn’t around, thank you very much, Chuck. Sure, Chuck was aware that drift partners were allowed that kind of clinginess after how much time they spent in each other’s heads, but Chuck had never understood the concept. Drifting with his dad usually left him with the sensation that he’d rather be anywhere but there afterward. But since Operation Pitfall, their relationship was on the mend, what with Herc doing his best to spend his few off days with his son. It was more than Chuck had hoped for when Pentacost had bodily shoved him into Striker’s lone escape pod. 

So it was with all of them sitting in the mess for lunch, their presence even graced by Herc for the first time in days, that Mako stood and moved to the head of the table. Chuck watched Raleigh’s puppy-dog head tilt as she did so and had to admit even he was curious now. What the hell could we-share-everything-because-we’re-drift-partners Mako have hidden from her own drift partner?

The subtle tilt of the corners of her mouth told Chuck it wasn’t anything bad, and in a very uncharacteristically high pitch, she announced, “We are going to get married!”

The entire table sat in a stunned silence for a few seconds. Chuck couldn’t help the “Bloody hell, really?!” that escaped his mouth before the table, and the entire mess around them, erupted into cheers that rivaled the ones that had rocked the halls following the Double Event. Herc grinned like the cat that caught the canary, all white teeth and lines around the eyes, and enveloped the petite woman in an Australian-sized hug. Even she was flashing the rare full-smile. Raleigh’s expression morphed into one of pure joy, all dopey cuteness and genuine happiness for his other mind-half. Chuck could practically feel that cheerfulness from across the table. From his side, Sasha began cooing in rapid Russian over the couple; the other Kandinsky and the Wei triplets were just as happy, but putting on more of a manly show of it. 

Mako had been the closest thing Chuck ever had to call a sibling, to call family other than his father for years now. Growing up in Shatterdomes across the world together had started that bond and surviving Pitfall thanks to the sacrifice of her adopted father had further solidified it. So Chuck blamed it on that relationship when he felt an equally uncharacteristic grin plaster itself over his face, gums and dimples making a rare appearance as he pushed Herc out of the way to wrap her in a hug of his own and plant a kiss on one of her flawless cheeks.

Raleigh, the sappy sod, was practically hanging off of Kevin, one arm thrown over his shoulder; he even looked close to tears. As Chuck released Mako, he hissed to Raleigh, “Hold it together, mate, Jesus.”

But instead of snarking back, Raleigh simply nodded and released his grip on Kevin. The flash of the ring Mako gave them the next instant dissolved the hallway into more cheers and Raleigh into more of a fit of happiness. Chuck rolled his eyes but gave in to pat the older pilot on the back to get him through it. 

 

 

Post-Pitfall, there was much less urgency to live life quickly now that the Kaiju threat had been stopped. But Chuck knew things could change in an instant. There was no guarantee that they would never find a way to come back, or that something else just as dangerous couldn’t crop up. He was glad Raleigh and Mako understood this need to still be on-edge despite the relaxing they had done since saving the world, and it was this thought that prevented Chuck from being surprised when Mako announced at lunch days later that she and Kevin wanted to get married in the next few months. 

Raleigh, ever the rational one, instantly squeaked (goddamn squeaked, like the drongo wasn’t adorable enough) and said, “Are you sure? That’s so soon!”

Chuck exchanged a glance with Mako and was glad to see that she knew he understood. That childhood connection was still going strong. As Mako explained her reasoning to Raleigh, Chuck thought about that connection. He was always the first to admit that he’d been a right bloody asshole before Operation Pitfall. But he liked to think that a near death experience and Pentacost’s pep talk as he gave him a second lease on life had changed him for the better. His relationship with Herc was ever-improving. He’d taken his therapists advice to start smiling at people when interacting with them as best he could. Hell, his relationship with Raleigh had even improved. Although, it’s not like it could have gotten any worse after that scrap in the hallway. He swore he could still feel the pipe breaking against his back at times. But he was the closest thing Chuck had ever had to call a friend, and even if the sod got on his nerves at times, it was just another relationship he was constantly working on. 

So he waited patiently as Raleigh listened to her explanation. Chuck knew that Raleigh would never deny Mako anything she wanted, but Raleigh’s want to protect her often weighed out the rational part of his brain that had to be reminding him that Mako was perfectly capable of looking after herself, and probably three other people at the same time. 

“So what can we do to help?” Raleigh shot Chuck a look like he dared him to complain about being offered up to help. Chuck met his gaze with raised eyebrows, hoping it conveyed the _like hell I’d refuse, mate_ he didn’t want to say aloud. 

“I was hoping you’d ask.” Mako smiled. “I wanted to meet you two alone for lunch because I wanted to ask something of you. Will you two be my best man and maid of honor?” She glanced at Raleigh, then Chuck, as she asked.

Raleigh practically burst into tears again. Chuck rolled his eyes but stroked his back a few times to calm the drongo down before he froze, narrowed gaze meeting Mako across the table. 

“I’m not a bloody girl, why the hell am I the maid?!” 

Her smirk indicated she had hoped he would ask. “Firstly, all of Kevin’s family were in Hong Kong and killed during the war, so he does not have anyone to stand with him. He has agreed that he wants you two since you have been so welcoming to him over the past few months.” Another dry almost-sob from Raleigh; Chuck swore he was going to lose his eyes to the back of his skull if he rolled them any harder. “So I get to pick both. Raleigh is the best man because he was my drift partner. I trust him with everything, so I will trust him to help Kevin get everything he needs for the wedding.” 

The blonde dork positively beamed at her words and shot a smug look at Chuck. 

“And Chuck, you are not a girl, but you are the closest thing I have ever had to a sibling. The maid of honor’s job is to help plan the wedding. You have known me much longer, so I trust you to help me put everything together. Plus, you are far more organized and you have a fabulous eye for color.”

Her response stunned Chuck into silence. She really thought that highly of him? Happiness bloomed in his chest, and also gratitude that he had apologized to her for being such a dick to her leading right up to Pitfall. This moment was no doubt because of his efforts to better himself and his relationships, and he couldn’t imagine missing out on such an opportunity to be a part of something so big. 

Of course, that didn’t stop him from sticking his tongue out at Raleigh in response to his smug look from earlier. 

 

 

The weeks passed quickly, what with Chuck still continuing his work to help with new schematics for Jaegers and his added duties as maid of honor. The pride he still felt at being chosen had quickly snuffed out his desire to call the position anything else. And he held it together particularly well when the other members of the ‘dome teased him for being the maid. He didn’t even throw any punches, and that itself was a huge victory for the younger Hansen. 

He had helped Mako pick her colors for the wedding. She went with the traditional Hong Kong wedding red and gold scheme, which surprised him considering her deep family roots in Japan. When asked, she simply pointed out how much in their lives had happened in Hong Kong, and Chuck couldn’t argue there. Had they been stationed at any other Shatterdome for their last stand, she wouldn’t have met Kevin. That alone was reason enough for Chuck. Plus, those colors would look nice in spring. They had even gotten as far as place settings and seating charts. Chuck was wandering the hall leading back from the mess, pouring over a florist chart from Hannibal Chau (since any local florists had been decimated during the war and importing flowers for the wedding would be a _bitch_ for anyone other than the black-market master) when he noticed a presence at his side, keeping up with his strides.

Sasha flashed him a toothy, Russian-like smile. “Planning for bachelorette party is going good, yes?”

Chuck closed his eyes, his pace shortening. _Fuck_. He hadn’t even thought about that yet, and the weeks were blurring by. It should happen well before the wedding, but he realized with a jolt that he was running out of time. “I’ll get right on that, then.”

Her smile softened, sympathy showing through the cracks. Chuck hadn’t thought the Russians that threw their weight around the Shatterdome were capable of such emotion. “Little red kangaroo needs help, yes? I will help.”

The nickname surprised him even further. He was sure that if the conversation continued, he’d lose his eyebrows into his hair. “ _You_ want to help _me_?” He squinted. “This a fucking bet or something?”

Sasha laughed, a light sound that he wondered if he’d ever heard before. The short time he’d known her before Pitfall hadn’t been a time for laughing, and he was again grateful to get the chance to hear it more now that he had a second chance. “Of course not. I help, yes. Mako is… младшая сестра. Little sister,” she explained at Chuck’s confused look. “Job is of maid of honor, but help to get party done in time is good, yes?”

“Yes.” Chuck couldn’t help the relief that coursed through his mind. 

That’s how the two ended up at the makeshift bar that had been set up in the Jaeger bay, passing Scotch back and forth as they traded ideas for Mako’s bachelor party. They eventually decided that something in house would be best. Mako was not one for going out; Raleigh had told Chuck about Mako’s feelings during her first excursions into the city after Pitfall. The rubble lining the streets and the occasional patch of Kaiju Blue sent her into memories of running through the streets from Onibaba. Chuck himself had shuddered. He couldn’t imagine. 

So a bachelorette party in the Shatterdome was in order. After all, it was the place they had all still decided to call home after Pitfall. It was a given that Sasha would provide the alcohol for the party. Bloody Russians could get their hands on anything, Chuck swore. He had a list of party games he would get Chau to expedite so that they would have something to do, along with some decorations. LOCCENT would be a good place, as it had enough chairs and was a closed enough space. He would have to bribe Tendo to let them in after hours, but that would be easy to do with coffee and bagels. Some things never change, he guessed. 

By the end of the night, he had everything planned out. He had his own tasks, Sasha had hers, and he felt marginally better about the amount of planning he had done for the wedding. 

It was when he was trudging along the hallway back to his bunk for the night that he realized he would probably have to attend the bachelorette party himself.

 _Bloody fucking hell_.

 

 

The approaching party loomed over Chuck like a dark cloud. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to celebrate Mako’s last days before her marriage. He hadn’t spent that much time with a group of girls since… fuck if he knew. He didn’t swing for that team, sure, but that didn’t mean he was one of those guys who liked to sit around talking about hot celebrity men and clothing and shite. But he hoped they wouldn’t spend all night fawning over girly things. Mako and especially Sasha were not the types of girls to typically do so, but the amount of alcohol Sasha had managed to procure worried Chuck. 

When he left his bunk to head to the party, dressed in jeans and a button up nice enough to pass for party wear, he practically ran into Raleigh in the hall. The bloke was dressed in slacks and a white shirt. The blazer slung casually over his shoulder, along with his put-together appearance, told him that the bachelor party Raleigh had planned involved going out into the city. 

“Ray, mate, for the love of God, take me with you.” Chuck skipped all pleasantries and went straight to begging. 

Raleigh smirked at the statement and readjusted his blazer. Chuck had a hard time ignoring the strong lines of his forearms, bared because the bloke had rolled his sleeves up to his elbows. Didn’t stop him from letting out a small, involuntary shudder. 

“What’s wrong, Charlie? Can’t handle a couple of girls?”

Chuck frowned at the nickname, although he had certainly earned it. The sod never forgave him for ‘Ray’, but Chuck had a hard time shaking it, even if it had been originally meant as a taunt. Now, he used it out of habit and, sometimes, fondness. “Girls are no problem. Drunk girls that are probably going to spend all night droning on about unicorns and pink and shite are something else entirely.”

The blonde grinned and scratched lightly at the exposed skin under the first two buttons, which were undone. Now he was just showing off. Chuck did his best to maintain eye contact instead of tracing the tanned skin. “Well, if they start putting you in dresses, give me a call, and I’ll do my best to save the damsel in distress.”

The damsel jab didn’t bother Chuck, but his heart ratcheted up into his throat at the mention of dresses. He stared after Raleigh’s rapidly disappearing back and said, “That was a joke, right? They’re not going to put me in fucking—don’t just walk away from me you bastard, you’re not serious, right?!” 

Turns out, it was so much worse than that. Sure, the night started out great. By the time Chuck dragged his feet to LOCCENT, the girls were all present and accounted for. And already one drink in, if the squealed excitement upon his arrival was any indication. Mako was sitting in Tendo’s chair, glass of something in hand. He was pleased to see that Chau had delivered; the sash around her shoulder and tiara situated perfectly on her head gave him a flash of pride, especially when he noticed that the tiara color matched the blue strands of her hair perfectly. And he decided he’d put up with any wedding shenanigans that she wanted if it would keep that ridiculously wide smile on her face.

He was also glad to see that Caitlin Lightcap had made an appearance. He knew Mako had drawn a lot of her inspiration and ideas for rebuilding Gipsy from the impressive woman’s earlier works, and he could imagine that Mako would be excited to get to talk to her in a less formal setting. Although he personally hadn’t interacted with her much, they all considered anyone who had a hand in bringing about the end of the apocalypse family. Seeing them interacting now made him even more glad this party had come to pass. Chuck also recognized the med bay doctor, although his time there after Pitfall had been spent in a semi-concussed state so he couldn’t really remember her name. Additionally, a few J-Techs and one of the Med-Techs were all present. Chuck prepared himself to stick like glue to Mako or Sasha the entire night; he didn’t know many of the women present.

It was also a stinging reminder that he was the only male in the room.

Chuck accepted the cup Sasha handed him gratefully. He’d need all he could get of the shite in order to survive the night. He took the shot of vodka just as Lightcap came to stand by him.

“I just think it’s _adorable_ that you’re a good enough sport to be Mako’s maid of honor.” She punctuated her words by gently patting his arm. Chuck flushed to the tips of his ears and thrust the cup back at Sasha. She felt enough sympathy for him that she immediately handed him one more shot before making him a mixed drink.

Mako giggled. “Stop, Caitlin, you are embarrassing the poor man.”

He simply grunted in response. Normally he’d have some kind of retort thrown back at the woman so quickly her head would have spun, but biting his tongue was worth it to hear Mako laugh. Besides, this was her party. So he’d have to cry internally if he bloody wanted to.

Fortunately, the attention turned from him when Sasha brought out some of the board games that Chau had also supplied for the party. Liquor and laughs flowed as the night went on. Chuck, his head now pleasantly swimming, found that he was surprisingly enjoying himself. He was appreciative of the fact that women in this area of work were usually the tough type, which kept the squealing and giggling to a minimum. 

Until one of the J-Techs brought her purse out.

“Ooh, we should do makeovers!”

Chuck had never heard Mako say anything excitedly about makeup before, so if he hadn’t watcher her speak those words as her face brightened, he wouldn’t have believed it. He sipped his drink quietly as the other girls began murmuring in agreement. Maybe he could just sit back and watch.

Until Caitlin called over the others, “We should give _Chuck_ a makeover!”

His face paled and at the same time, the tips of his ears, along with the back of his neck, flared red. He could feel it. “Ah, thanks ladies, but I’m going to pass on this one. Maybe another night.”

But the Med-Tech was already dragging him forward to one of LOCCENT’s desk chairs. “I really don’t—it’d be a straight waste of supplies, mate—don’t really have the face for—” But all of his complaints went unheard. He shot Sasha a glance in the hopes that she would once again take pity on him, but even she was grinning wickedly down at him. 

Great. He was surrounded by trigger-happy drunk women who were brandishing makeup supplies eagerly. Mako looked quietly amused, and deep down Chuck knew if he did a little shouting and pushed his way out of the chair, she would tell the others to back off so that they could salvage the night. But dammit, she shouldn’t have to salvage anything this close to her wedding. 

Chuck sighed. He drained his cup, demanded another shot from Sasha, and steeled himself for what was going to be one uncomfortable experience. “Right. Ladies, do your worst, I guess.”

 

 

The two additional shots of vodka had at least made it so that Chuck could tip his head back and relax as the party made their way over his face. Stupid Raleigh Beckett and his jinxing of the night. Fuck, he would have taken a dress over this shite any day. The stupid seppo was probably having the time of his life in a club with Kevin and Tendo, although he imagined spending that much time with Newt was probably about as comfortable as a bunch of young women painting your face. 

Caitlin was dusting something under his left cheek and Mako was winging something black lightly on his right eye lid. His very limited experience with women since his realization that he liked men better had left him with absolutely zero ability to distinguish exactly what they were doing to him. Even his mom hadn’t been around long enough for him to see what makeup consisted of—

No. No sense going down that road tonight; all that would do is depress him, and it was supposed to be a good night. 

So instead, he fished his phone out of his pocket. The alcohol prompted him to sneakily send a text to Raleigh. _I’m going to fucking kill you for getting the easy party._

The phone buzzed in his hand much sooner than he would have expected, considering the bloke was probably at a busy bar. The thought made Chuck feel warm in the chest, as though he’d just taken another shot.

_Ah, my unfortunate damsel. What color dress did they start with?_

The corners of Chuck’s mouth twitched at the familiarity and fondness the jibe carried. Bastard. He typed a quick reply. _Not dresses. Even more distressing: makeup._

_What? You’re kidding. Send pictures._

Chuck was particularly proud at his next reply. _You already tried perving on me in the dress, I’m not showing you what they’re doing to my face. Just come save me, you bloody drongo._

Of course, the women working near his face noticed the grin that had settled while Chuck was texting. “Who’s that?” Caitlin asked, poking at his ribs. “Maybe it’s a girl!” the doctor gasped. “Oh, look at his ears, it’s definitely a girl!” said one of the J-Tech’s. 

They kept pressing, but Chuck refused to say anything. Makeup was one thing, but he was drawing a hard line on talking about feelings. He wasn’t planning on having to explain his sexuality to a group of women tonight. Or explaining how he was going through a drunk revelation where he apparently found Raleigh Beckett attractive. Sure, there had always been no denying the old has-been was built like Greek warrior and easy on the eyes, but thinking about the friendly, more fond tone their relationship had started taking made him feel… fuzzier than the alcohol. But he didn’t take offense to their probing; he knew Mako would have been more sensitive to the topic had she been sober. Women loved giggling over drama, he’d learned, and this case wasn’t an exception. 

Not long later, the sound of LOCCENT’s doors opening interrupted the continuous stream of female laughter. Footsteps sounded behind him, and Mako and Caitlin looked up from where they were, as he’d been told, putting the finishing touches on his face. They hadn’t done too much; just outlined his eyes and brushed something powdery around his cheeks and outlined his lips with something, although he’d vehemently refused to allow lipstick anywhere near his face. He was hoping the lights in LOCCENT were dimmed low enough that the makeup wouldn’t be too obvious. 

“Hello, ladies. Enjoying your evening?” Raleigh’s voice was like a Godsend; Chuck felt relieved. He also couldn’t help but notice the heat pooling in his gut from Raleigh’s low, drawling greeting. 

Mako giggled again. “We are having a wonderful time.”

Chuck could practically feel the happiness the blonde was emitting at her words. Drifting with someone was a strong connection, he knew, but sometimes, their relationship was a bit ridiculous. 

“Well I hate to cut a part of it short, but Kevin wants to borrow Chuck for something wedding related. If you don’t mind, that is?”

Sasha was the one to end his torture. “Yes. We have embarrassed baby Hansen enough, I think. For one night.”

He sucked in a breath and steeled himself to not look too happy at the sudden freedom. “Thanks for the good time, ladies. We’ll have to pick this up again some night. Minus the, uh, you know, pampering.” Chuck stood, stumbled over his foot slightly, and turned to face Raleigh.

The second Raleigh saw his face, his eyes blew almost comically wide. Chuck grimaced. Yeah, it was as bad as he thought. The guy even grabbed Chuck’s arm and began dragging him from the control room. Chuck allowed himself to be manhandled down the hallway. He wasn’t complaining one bit; if the girls had their way, they might try to stop him from making his escape, but he doubted even Sasha could break the vice-like grip Raleigh had on the sleeve of his button-down. 

Half-way back to the bunk area, the dragging began to make Chuck feel queasy. Too much alcohol and too much movement. “Uh, mate? Think we’ve made a clean getaway. What…?”

Raleigh stopped suddenly enough that Chuck would have crashed into him had the blonde not grasped his other shoulder and shoved him bodily into the wall. Chuck flashed back to the hallway fight; was Raleigh about to beat the shit out of him for something as stupid as him wearing makeup? He hadn’t pegged the Alaskan as a homophobe or anything. But the older pilot was simply looking at him. His eyes swept from Chuck’s own to his cheeks before they settled on his lips for more than a few seconds. Chuck became increasingly aware of the body pressed against him, the hips slotted against his own, the heat that Raleigh was positively radiating. 

He thought back to his earlier thoughts about Raleigh and fought desperately against the growing erection in his pants. Although, if the pressure hard-pressed against him was any indication, Raleigh had already beat him to that punch.

Now there was a thought.

Chuck clung to the piercing blue eyes, flailing for any type of grounding. “Raleigh, what…?”

Raleigh licked his own lips and finally tore his gaze back up to Chuck’s. “Do you have any idea how you _look_ right now?” The low, wrecked tone of his voice was a complete shock.

In response, Chuck could only sputter something that in no way sounded like English. Thankfully, Raleigh shut the blathering up by surging forward for a kiss. Chuck gave a startled moan into the kiss. Raleigh tasted like whiskey and honey, strong but without the burn of alcohol. His tongue tasted even better, Chuck marveled, as Raleigh subjected him to a series of thorough, increasingly-filthy kisses. He tipped his head back as Raleigh ran his teeth gently at against his jaw and nipped at his throat. Like he didn’t feel embarrassingly like a girl enough all night, Chuck was rapidly being reduced to a puddle in the hallway, but he couldn’t bring himself to care enough to stop as Raleigh brought his mouth back up. 

Raleigh panted against the skin of Chuck’s neck, just below his ear. “God, your eyes are gorgeous—fuck’n eyelashes go on for _days_. Wanna _wreck_ you right here. Jesus, your fucking bone structure. Could cut fucking glass with your jawline—”

Chuck practically keened under Raleigh’s stream of compliments. He rolled his hips up, bringing his clothed erection in contact with the older man’s. Raleigh gasped and bit lightly on the tendon in his neck, drawing another desperate sound out of him. “God, Raleigh.” Chuck barely recognized his own voice, low and drawn out with need. 

But the rational part of his brain fought through the alcohol-and-heat induced fog enough to begin signaling warning bells in his head. They were in the middle of the fucking hallway in the ‘dome, he had several meetings tomorrow to try to find someone who could marry Mako and Kevin in the city, and if he had to guess, he’d say Raleigh was as drunk as he was. 

That thought was sobering enough to tame his growing erection slightly. This had to be alcohol induced, he decided, as Raleigh dragged him in for another bruising kiss. They were coming to be friends, sure, but this… This was sudden, untamed need that had sprung up from nowhere.

Well, from Chuck wearing makeup, but Chuck certainly didn’t have time to dwell on that thought. 

Raleigh noticed his sudden lack of participation and stopped abruptly. Sounds of both of them struggling for air as they resurfaced filled the hall. Chuck had another thought of the women from the party stumbling upon them, which was even more sobering. Raleigh cupped Chuck’s face with a strong, calloused hand. 

“Why are you overthinking this?” Raleigh sounded even more desperate now, although the fact that he’d taken notice of Chuck’s body language and had stopped showed Chuck that he wouldn’t be a total asshole when this was stopped. 

“Ray, I…” Chuck sighed. He doubted he would ever be close enough to drown in the gorgeous blue of the man’s eyes, to trace the light stubble that worked over his solid jaw and pouty, kiss-bruised lips. But it wouldn’t be worth the regret in the morning. Chuck realized he was in way over his head if he was more concerned about Raleigh’s future feelings than getting laid. When the hell did he get so sappy?

Maybe he was the girl here.

“You’re drunk.” Raleigh opened his mouth to debate, but Chuck ploughed through the interruption. “I’m drunk, mate. I don’t want to do something just because of that. Or because you have some kind of weirdo makeup kink.”

Raleigh barked out a laugh. Chuck couldn’t help but smile at the crinkles in the corners of his eyes, the flash of white teeth, and how at ease the blonde looked when laughing. The bastard was even more gorgeous up close. “Maybe. I didn’t even know I did. But what I do know is that you’ve been driving me crazy since you hit me with that bitch-face after I opened the front of your escape pod.” He swallowed, and Chuck followed his Adam’s apple, regretting the fact that he had stopped things before getting a chance to taste that slightly bronzed expanse of neck. “I can tell you that I’ll feel the same way tomorrow that I do right now. But if you want to wait until tomorrow for proof, as much as I’m going to hate going to bed with blue balls, I can respect that.”

Chuck groaned. At Raleigh’s confused face, he added, “Mate, I really am the fucking girl here.”

The older pilot just smiled warmly and stroked a thumb across Chuck’s painted cheek. “You’re damn right.” Chuck wasn’t sure if the bloke really liked close contact, or if he threw out the idea to make Chuck feel less like the girl, but when Raleigh asked, “Can we at least cuddle and make out or something tonight?” Chuck grinned wide enough that his dimples made an appearance. 

“How _girly_ , mate.” But his words had no bite, and it was his turn to drag the bloke down the hallway. “My bunk. It’s cold, and Max is a good heater.”

“Sure thing, Charlie. But you’re not taking that makeup off until tomorrow.”

Chuck turned and hit him with a sultry half-grin and a wink. Raleigh looked like he was about to have a stroke at the sight. That alone made the torturous events of the bachelorette party completely worth it. _Thanks, Mako_. And as Chuck crawled into his bed with his arms full of Raleigh Beckett, he let his drunk thoughts wander. Maybe with enough luck, there would be another Hong Kong Shatterdome wedding next year.


End file.
